8/18/2008 @ 6:00AM

The Business Of Hip-Hop

After years of violent rivalry marked by the murders of such icons as Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G., hip-hop’s focus has shifted from beef to cake–making money, that is. Unlike most pop and rock musicians, who make the bulk of their earnings from record sales and tours, many of hip-hop’s biggest stars preside over vast entertainment empires.